Onna: Disclaimers apply desu!!!
Bluj: @.@ *due to Onna's shaking*
Onna: Hmph... some help you are...
Sanzo: Hn.
Hakkai: Yare yare desu ne...
Yaone: *reads last chapter to help Onna muddle her way through this one*
*****
For a while, the room was so silent Yaone swore she'd be able to hear a single strand of hair hit the floor. Five pairs of eyes gone overly wide focused sharply on her a full second before the protests followed.
"Are you crazy, Yaone?!" Kougaiji snapped. "We can't fight with them! They're our enemies!"
"I second that!" Gojyo had shot to his feet. "Hakkai, I'm not working with these knuckleheads!"
"I'll ignore that comment, kappa," snarled the youkai prince.
"Maa maa..." Hakkai had his arms raised in a placatory gesture.
"Please, minna-san..." Yaone found herself interrupted by high-pitched voices before she could continue.
"Bakasaru!" Lirin was dodging a punch thrown by Goku. "You can't even tell something's wrong 'cause your brain's nothing but an empty rice bowl!"
"TEME!"
"NYAAAAAAAAH!"
"Well, your head's got nothing in it but a large pork bun!"
"OI!"
Yaone tried to hush them. "Lirin-sama, Goku-san, yamete kudasai. This isn't helping us figure out how to find Sanzo-san."
Kougaiji shot her an icy look. "What makes you think we're going to help them find Sanzo?"
"Kougaiji-sama, please be reasonable. Like Hakkai-san said, we're stranded in this town, having made enemies out of all the people here. Plus, those men that attacked us had something protecting them from our strikes, and somehow Hakkai-san and his friends were unaffected."
"I'm not sure that will be the case the next time though," Hakkai added smilingly.
Lirin's forehead had been wrinkled since Yaone asked her to calm down. But now her green eyes suddenly came alive as she declared, "The person who first saw me in town tonight, he said that scums like me are better off dead!"
Her older brother snorted at that. "So they're biased against youkai. So what?"
"Demo-!" Lirin started to explain when a soft moan was heard. Yaone swung her gaze to Goku, who was supporting himself by holding on to the chair.
"Goku! Daijoubu desu ka?" Hakkai asked, concerned.
The young boy nodded. "Just felt a bit dizzy... that's all..."
"Chi," Gojyo smirked. "All that exercise must have emptied his stomach so he's hungry again."
"Urusai, aka gokiburi kappa!" Goku retorted. "I'm not even hungry!"
"Not hungry? That's a first."
Hakkai continued to look anxiously at his young companion. "Goku?"
"That was really weird... I'm not really dizzy but... it's like it's away from me... the dizziness feels like it's coming from someone else..."
"Goku-san?" Yaone murmured.
"Oh," Goku blinked a few times. "It's gone!"
"Chi..." Gojyo muttered, rolling his eyes. "Bakasaru worrying us over nothing!"
"Saru ja ne yo, ero kappa!"
"Goku. Gojyo."
They both quieted at the serious tone in Hakkai's voice. "We're not going to find Sanzo if we keep fighting like this."
"We're not going to find Sanzo-san if we don't move," Yaone added quietly.
Dokugakuji mused for a while before replying, "Are we just going out as we are? Like Yaone said, we practically turned the entire town into our enemies."
"Disguises and limiters?" Gojyo shrugged, cigarette in hand.
"Iie!" Lirin shook her head vehemently. "I was wearing both, and those guys somehow knew I was youkai!"
"Who were those guys?" Goku suddenly asked.
Yaone thought for a moment before the memory of the fight came rushing back. "There was a barrier blocking our attacks. Does this mean that they're protecting the town somewhat?"
Silence. Then everyone looked at each other and chorused, "Nah!"
"That is impossible," Kougaiji stated. "No human can have that kind of power."
"Even Sanzos would not have that power," Hakkai added.
Dokugakuji raised an eyebrow, voice slightly laced with sarcasm. "Even with the sutras?"
The human-turned-youkai nodded. "Even with the sutras."
"Then what are they? Youkais as well?" Gojyo asked.
"I doubt it..." Yaone mused. "Why would they hate their own race?"
Goku and Lirin just looked at Yaone with confused and dazed looks in their eyes.
"Naaaa!" the young boy whined. "Let's just go look for Sanzo!"
The vein on Gojyo's forehead throbbed. "BAKASARU! Stop your whining!"
"Saru ja ne yo, ero kappa!"
"TEME!"
"Hakkai-san," Yaone turned to the green-eyed healer. "Did anything strange happen while you were in town?"
He scratched his chin for a while, thinking. "I'm not too sure..."
"Ne!" Goku looked up from under Gojyo's hand. "Sanzo was interested in a certain house when we entered town!"
"Sou da ne!" Hakkai snapped his fingers. "I remember that! Something about the house seemed to bother him."
"Chi! Namaguza bouzu probably got himself into trouble in that house! Let's go!"
"Aa!" Goku voiced his agreement. "Ikuzo~!"
Hakkai bowed to Yaone as he turned to exit, which left Yaone and her companions blinking in confusion.
"Ano, Kougaiji-sama... do we go as well?"
"No. They're our enemies, why should we help?"
Lirin pouted and stomped her foot. "Mou! Still, I'm going no matter what you all say!"
"L-Lirin-sama-!" Yaone cried just as the demon princess bounded into town after Hakkai and his companions.
Kougaiji snarled and yelled, "Lirin!!!" before he ran out, Dokugakuji and Yaone not far behind him.
*****
Onna: *wipes forehead* PHEW! Okay! That's done!
Bluj: *still out cold*
Onna: *vein pop* TEME! BAKA NEKO!
*BONK!!!*